The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children's books. Given every other year by IBBY, the Hans Christian Andersen Awards recognize lifelong achievement and are given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature.

The 2014 Jury, selected by IBBY's Executive Committee from nominations made by its national sections, comprises the following ten distinguished members from across the globe. Jury President María Jesús Gil (Madrid, Spain) will lead the Jury to select the winners of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen awards.

Anastasia Arkhipova Illustrator, chair of the board of the Association of Moscow Book Illustrators and Designers, Moscow, Russia.

The following nominees have been submitted for the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Awards by the National Sections of IBBY. For the 2014 Awards 28 authors and 30 illustrators have been nominated from 34 countries.

Argentina: author María Cristina Ramos; illustrator Isol

Australia; author Nadia Wheatley; illustrator Ron Brooks

Austria: author Renate Welsh; illustrator Linda Wolfsgruber

Azerbaijan: author Sevinj Nurugizi

Belgium: author Frank Andriat; illustrator Carll Cneut

Brazil: author Joel Rufino dos Santos; illustrator Roger Mello

Canada: author Kenneth Oppel; illustrator Philippe Béha

China: author Hongying Yang; illustrator Liang Xiong

Croatia: illustrator Svjetlan Junaković

Denmark: author Lene Kaaberbøl; illustrator Charlotte Pardi

Estonia: author Aino Pervik

Finland: author Kirsi Kunnas; illustrator Pekka Vuori

France: author Jean-Claude Mourlevat; illustrator François Place

Germany: author Mirjam Pressler; illustrator Rotraut Susanne Berner

Greece: author Sofia Madouvalou; illustrator Daniela Stamatiadi

Iran: author Houshang Moradi Kermani

Ireland: author Eoin Colfer; illustrator PJ Lynch

Italy: author Bianca Pitzorno; illustrator Fabian Negrin

Japan: author Nahoko Uehashi; illustrator Ken Katayama

Republic of Korea: author Jin-Kyung Kim; illustrator Byoung-Ho Han

Latvia: illustrator Reinis Pētersons

Netherlands: author Ted van Lieshout; illustrator Marit Törnqvist

Norway: author Bjørn Sortland; illustrator Øyvind Torseter

Portugal: author António Torrado; illustrator Teresa Lima

Russia: author VladislavKrapivin; illustrator Igor Oleinikov

Slovakia: author Daniel Hevier; illustrator Peter Uchnár

Slovenia: author Polonca Kovač; illustrator Alenka Sottler

Spain: illustrator Javier Zabala

Sweden: illustrator Eva Lindström

Switzerland: illustrator Albertine

Turkey: author Serpil Ural; illustrator Saadet Ceylan

UK: author Jacqueline Wilson; illustrator John Burningham

USA: author Jacqueline Woodson; illustrator Bryan Collier

The Jury President will guide the judging process and preside at the jury meeting 15-16 March 2014. The shortlist will be disseminated immediately following the Jury meeting and the winners will be announced at the IBBY Press Conference at the Bologna Children's Book Fair on Monday, 24 March 2014.